Prototype service

As a result of the initial project theories on regional issues, tourism challenges at large, social web trends, location-based mobile services, user studies, and more, the project has created a prototype service presented here.

Figure 2: The YOUSAT prototype system components

The YOUSAT prototype system comprises the following components.

  • YOUSAT server
    Database-driven web backend managing and serving YOUSAT data to Locago client and TravelTeller web site
  • Idevio servers
    Idevio’s streaming map data server and Locago static layers server
  • Locago mobile client
    The mobile client currently available as a java or android app, handling maps and interactive data layers.



A typical scenario could be as follows.

  • A group of users starts Locago on their mobile phones and retrieves the “destination” layer from the YOUSAT server which loads the YOUSAT layer and map data and a tourist organisation layer from Idevio´s servers containing e.g. information about mountain lodges.
  • A user runs the Locago app on a mobile phone while trekking
    Figure 3: Locago app showing the YOUSAT layer in map view
  • One or more of the group find interesting locations and decide to write entries using the YOUSAT Locago interactive layer’s form.
    When the entry is written, as a part of the group story, it is automatically posted to the social web (here Facebook).
    Figure 4: Facebook posts created using the YOUSAT Locago app

 

  • The online network of friends who see the entry on the web, are encouraged to click a link to view the whole story (“Read whole story” in screenshot above).
  • This takes them to the TravelTeller web site, showing the entire story content with trails and places marked on a map (using the Idevio RaveGeo Webmap javascript component). Login to TravelTeller via social web service login (currently Facebook connect) yields the possibility to edit/create content through the web interface, as requested in the questionnaires to tourist organisations.
    Figure 5: The whole group’s travel story as shown in a web browser.

 

... and a documentary video: